The present invention relates to a communication equipment and method for performing a transmission/reception through a communication network.
It is a common practice that a user registers its personal information to a communication equipment that the user uses. For example, its name, its address, its phone number, its office name, its school name, the telephone numbers of these places, its electronic mail address and so on are registered. These personal information of the user are called xe2x80x9cbusiness card informationxe2x80x9d.
Although there is a case that the business card information is read from an actual business card by using a reader such as a scanner and the business card information is stored in the equipment, there is another case that the user directly inputs the business card information to the equipment. As an example which embodies an equipment which registers the business card information of the user, there is an equipment called xe2x80x9cPDA (Personal Digital Assistant)xe2x80x9d. The PDA has a function of managing the personal information of the user (a schedule management, an action item management, an address book management).
Further, the PDA having a communication function is capable of exchanging the preregistered business card information with other PDA and takes in the received information into its own address book.
In this manner, the PDA which functions such that the function of managing address book is correlated with the function of interchanging the business card information with the PDA which others use and the interchanged business card information is taken in the address book has been already known.
As a second example of an equipment which is capable of registering the business card information, a portable personal computer can be named. In general, a software which manages the personal information is called PIM (Personal Information Manger) software and such a software often has a business card interchanging function and an address book management function which is correlated with the former function as in the case of the PDA.
At the time of interchanging the business cards, the user must perform an operation called xe2x80x9cbusiness card information transmissionxe2x80x9d. That is, the business card information can be interchanged only when both user or either one of users perform the xe2x80x9cbusiness card information transmissionxe2x80x9d. Here, the information interchanged and stored is only the business card information.
In the conventional equipment such as the PDA or the like, there has been a problem that even when the PDAs of both parties are in a communicable condition, the user must inevitably perform the operation to designate the business card information transmission.
Further, there has been another problem that in case the user wants to start any communication with the counterpart equipment after the interchange of the business cards, the only way to identify other equipment is to discriminate by the address or the name given to the equipment and hence, only by looking at the address or the name given to the equipment, it is difficult for the user to accurately select the desired counterpart without fail.
Therefore, there is a need for a communication equipment and method for automatically interchanging business card information and displaying the business card information on a display, thus making it unnecessary for a user to perform the operation for interchanging the actual business card.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a communication equipment comprising business card information transmission means for transmitting business card information including at least a portion of a name of a user of its own communication equipment; business card information reception means for receiving business card information including at least a portion of a name of a user of other communication equipment; business card information display means for displaying the business card information of a user of the other communication equipment received by said business card information reception means; and business card information memory means for storing the business card information of a user of its own communication equipment and the business card information of other communication equipment.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a communication method comprising transmitting business card information including at least a portion of the name of a user of the user""s own communication equipment; receiving business card information including at least a portion of a name of a user of other communication equipment; displaying the business card information of the other communication equipment received in a business card information display; and storing in memory the business card information of the user""s own communication equipment and the business card information of the other communication equipment.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing a program of a communication method, wherein said program performs transmitting business card information including at least a portion of a name of a user of the user""s own communication equipment; receiving business card information including at least a portion of a name of a user of other communication equipment; displaying the received business card information of the other communication equipment; and storing the business card information of the user""s own communication equipment and the business card information of the other communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 1 is directed to a communication equipment comprising business card information transmission means for transmitting business card information which includes at least a portion of a name of a user of its own communication equipment, without users operation for transmitting business card information reception means for receiving business card information which includes at least a portion of a name of a user of other communication equipment, business card information display means for displaying the business card information of other communication equipment received by the business card information reception means, and business card information memory means for storing the business card information of its own communication equipment and the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 2 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein the equipment includes communication equipment detection means which finds out other communication equipment which is communicable with its own communication equipment, the business card information transmission means transmits the business card information of its own communication equipment to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection means, and the business card information display means picks out and displays the business card information corresponding to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection means.
The invention according to claim 3 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein the business card information memory means stores information on a condition in which the communication equipment is connected to other communication equipment together with the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 4 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1 wherein the communication equipment includes image inputting means which photographs an image and converts the image to electronic data, and the business card information transmission means transmits the image information together with the business card information.
The invention according to claim 5 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein in case the business card information of its own communication equipment is not set, the business card information transmission means transmits given information set other than the business card information as the business card information of its own communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 6 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein in case there is no business card information of other communication equipment, the business card information display means displays given information set to its own communication equipment as the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 7 is directed to a communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein in case there is no business card information of its own communication equipment or there is no business card information of other communication equipment, the business card information memory means stores given information set in its own communication equipment as the business card information of these communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 8 is directed to a communication method comprising a business card information transmission step for transmitting business card information including at least a portion of the name of a user of its own communication equipment, without users operation for transmitting the business card information a business card information reception step for receiving business card information including at least a portion of the name of a user of other communication equipment, a business card information display step for displaying the business card information of other communication equipment received in the business card information reception step, and a business card information memory step for storing the business card information of its own communication equipment and the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 9 is directed to a communication method according to claim 8, wherein the method includes a communication equipment detection step which finds out other communication equipment which is communicable with its own communication equipment, the business card information transmission step transmits the business card information of its own communication equipment to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection step, and the business card information display step picks out and displays only the business card information corresponding to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection step.
The invention claimed in claim 10 is directed to a communication method according to claim 8, wherein the business card information memory step stores information on a condition in which its own communication equipment is connected to other communication equipment together with the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 11 is directed to a communication method according to claim 8 wherein the communication method includes image inputting step which photographs an image and converts the image to electronic data, and the business card information transmission step transmits the image information together with the business card information.
The invention claimed in claim 12 is directed to a communication method according to claim 8, wherein in case the business card information of its own communication equipment is not set, the business card information transmission step transmits given information set other than the business card information as the business card information of its own communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 13 is directed to a communication method according to claim 8, wherein in case there is no business card information of other communication equipment, the business card information display step displays given information set in its own communication equipment as the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention according to claim 14 is directed to a storage medium which stores a program of a communication method for performing a business card information transmission function of transmitting business card information which includes at least a portion of the name of a user of its own communication equipment, a business card information reception function of receiving business card information which includes at least a portion of the name of a user of other communication equipment without users operation for transmitting the business card information, a business card information display function of displaying the business card information of other communication equipment received by the business card information reception function, and a business card information memory function of storing the business card information of its own communication equipment and the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 15 is directed to a storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the method includes a communication equipment detection function which finds out other communication equipment which is communicable with its own communication equipment, the business card information transmission function transmits the business card information of its own communication equipment to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection means, and the business card information display function picks out and displays only the business card information corresponding to other communication equipment detected by the communication equipment detection function.
The invention claimed in claim 16 is directed to a storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the business card information memory function stores information on a condition in which its own communication equipment is connected to other communication equipment together with the business card information of other communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 17 is directed to a storage medium according to claim 14 wherein the storage medium includes an image inputting function which photographs an image and converts the image to electronic data, and the business card information transmission function transmits the image information together with the business card information.
The invention claimed in claim 18 is directed to a storage medium according to claim 14, wherein in case the business card information of its own communication equipment is not set, the business card information transmission function transmits given information set other than the business card information as the business card information of its own communication equipment.
The invention claimed in claim 19 is directed to a storage medium according to claim 14, wherein in case there is no business card information of other communication equipment, the business card information display function displays given information set to its own communication equipment as the business card information of other communication equipment.
In the following explanation, its own communication equipment is called as xe2x80x9cits own equipmentxe2x80x9d and other communication equipment other than its own equipment is called as xe2x80x9cother equipmentxe2x80x9d.
The invention according to claim 1 automatically transmits the business card information and displays such information. Accordingly, it is no more necessary for the user to perform the operation for interchanging business card information.
The invention according to claim 2 displays the business card information of the user of a currently communicable equipment from the stored business card information. The user who wants to communicate with other user is capable of selecting a counterpart with whom the user wants to communicate from the displayed business card information and hence, the user can start the communication without knowing the address and the equipment name of the equipment of the counterpart with whom the user wants to communicate.
The invention according to claim 3 stores the date on which the connection is made and the like together with the business card information and interchanges the information on services (for example, a service necessary for transferring files, a electronic white board function, or a version information on prepared services) and stores them. Further, if there are any services which are actually provided, such services are also stored. Accordingly, it becomes possible to pick out only the business card information of the equipment which has services compatible with those of its own equipment and to perform the communication only with such equipment.
The invention according to claim 4 transmits not only the business card information made of characters and numerals but also image information (an image of the face of the user or the like) which is inputted on the occasion. Accordingly, the user can select the communication counterpart based on not only the characters information but also the image information displayed on the display.
The invention according to claim 5 obtains and transmits suitable values (for example, the log-in name of a computer or the like) from information set to its own equipment or transmits a given character string (xe2x80x9cname unknownxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunknown userxe2x80x9d or the like) as the business card information of its own equipment, even when the business card information of its own equipment is not preset. Accordingly, even the user who has just purchased the equipment and has not yet set its business card information or the user who has forgotten to set its business card information can easily use the equipment.
The invention according to claim 6 obtains and displays suitable values (for example, values obtained from the database of equipment which the its own equipment had an access in the past) from the information set to its own equipment or displays given character strings (xe2x80x9cname unknownxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunknown userxe2x80x9d or the like) as the business card information of other equipment in case empty business card information is transmitted from other equipment. Accordingly, even when the business card information is not transmitted from other equipment, the user can designate and communicate with the equipment.
The invention as according to claim 7 can obtain and store suitable values (for example, the log-in name of a computer or the like) from the information set to its own equipment or can store given character strings (xe2x80x9cname unknownxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunknown userxe2x80x9d or the like) as the business card information, even when there is no business card information of its own equipment or no business card information of other equipment. Accordingly, other equipment recognized as equipment communicable with its own equipment and having no business card information or its own equipment to which the business card information is not set can be stored using the temporary business card information
That is, according to the present invention, when the communicable equipment is found out, the business card information is automatically interchanged and hence, it is no more necessary to bother the hand of the user each time the communication is to be made. Further, by displaying the business card information in place of the address or the name of the communicable equipment, the user can easily start communication with a desired counterpart. Further, by offering not only the character information but also the image information, the selection of the communication counterpart becomes further easier. For example, by transmitting the image of the face of the user or the like, the communication can be started by clicking the desired counterpart from the face image icons displayed on the display of its own equipment.